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If there was an all stick-figure ticket, I’d vote it. These guys can ‘splain anything.
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 Last week, the L's Henry Stewart reviewed two films about young people in New York City during the Bloomberg years: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and The Pleasure of Being Robbed. Some additional thoughts on the films, and what they reveal about our fair city (emphasis on "our") follow.
Reflecting the state of the city, the iconic New York City movies from the latter half of the 20th century showcased street-level blight and decay. In the 70s and 80s, directors like Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet, movies like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and The Warriors, portrayed a city ridden with crime and corruption, graffiti and gangs, and the individuals struggling to navigate through the urban mayhem.
But then things began to change, for the city and for its movies. Starting with Mayor Dinkins’ police force bolstering, and continuing through Clinton boom times and the Giuliani mayoralty, New York underwent a revamping from dump to Disneyland, evinced most conspicuously in the transformation of Times Square from porn-palace Mecca to TRL headquarters. In 2007, the city’s murder rate was the lowest it has been in the 44 years that reliable records have been kept; new census data reveals that decades of “white flight” trends have begun to reverse.
For better or worse, The City is a radically different place than it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago. And now it’s beginning to show in the filmmaking. Two films, both released on October 3rd, offer portraits of Bloomberg’s overhauled New York. One is blithely celebratory, the other quietly critical.
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 Ah, our favorite Sarah Palin doppelganger may have been busy, but not TOO busy to get herself a book deal. A mere week after rumors swirled over some absurd offers, Tina Fey signed on with Little, Brown to write what the Observer says "was reportedly pitched as a book of humorous essays in the style of Nora Ephron." That sounds just right and well within her comfort zone. I look forward to it, and also to finding out what she got PAID.
Tina Fey for President!
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 As part of my self-imposed mission to visit all the independently run tea-houses in Manhattan, I journeyed on Saturday to Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side. It's an especially delightful little place if you are a child of five or six years old (staff wear fairy wings), although you can just describe it as "whimsical" if you are in your mid-20s and do not mind sipping away at a cuppa char while staring at a pretty mural of Alice in Wonderland.
I feasted on a grilled veggie sandwich that was messy but delicious, and sampled the quaintly titled Margaret's Hope tea, described on the menu as "very British" and perfect for autumn. It was flavorful and lovely. But there are plenty of teas to choose from here -- ranging from black to organic to one called Bai Hao White Tip Champagne Oolong -- not to mention all sorts of tea platters and desserts.
I was tempted to steal a little device on my teapot called a drip-catcher. I do not understand how it works, all I know is that it was ceramic and shaped like a tiny rabbit. (I didn't take it, obvs. But I wanted to.)
Alice's Tea Cup: definitely recommended.
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Through our weekly Music Newsletter and at various events, The L has recently been giving away tickets to a concert scheduled for tonight at Studio 7, and featuring Rogue Wave. Due to an injury in the band, the show will have to be postponed; your tickets, if you're one of the people who got one through the L (or any other way) will be honored on the too-be-determined-and-announced date. For more info, now and later, see jdstudiono7.com.
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 Ok, let's get neological because why the hell not. We have all been enormously entertained and then bored with the fun games like What Is Your Porn Star Name and What Is Your Stripper Name and What Would Your Middle Name Be If You Were Your Pet in the House You Gew Up In, or whatever, or those weird Web 2.You programs for your Hockey Mom Name or whatever.
But, of course, my favorite Name Generator is not some online application or dinner party rubric. No, my favorite name generator is Prince, who turned "Denise Matthews" into "Vanity", Patricia Kotero into "Apollonia", and Tara Leigh Patrick into "Carmen Electra." In names as in all things, Prince is a genius.
So, let's play, What Is Your Prince Protege Name?
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 Whenever there's a job opening here at the L (which there rarely is because who would ever want to leave our loving and no, definitely not at all smothering embrace?), we just put up an ad on Craigslist that says "Must Love Dogs," because we love dogs and are frightened of not having anything new to talk about with the new person.
So, yeah, we love animals and appreciate very much the efforts of the people "working to end euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals in city shelters by 2015." Those groups being the ones who'll benefit from the benefit concert being held tonight, yes tonight, at the Highline Ballroom. The concert, called Gimme Shelter (a clever reference to the Rolling Stones song about animal rescue), features a lot of famous people, but I'd really rather this didn't turn into a blog post where I listed off the names of famous people like we've already talked about them together many times, you and I, because my soul dies a little writing posts like that, is it too much to ask you to just click on the list yourself? Thanks, and on your way out please remember to Save This Adorable Puppy.
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